Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power transmitting apparatus for transmitting rotational drive power independently to a pair of left and right drive wheels of a vehicle.
Description of the Related Art
From the standpoint of increasing the transmissibility of rotational drive power to the drive wheels of automobiles, attention has recently been focused on a system that has a plurality of motor units for individually rotating the respective drive wheels of an automobile. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-285350 discloses an electric automobile having a pair of left and right drive wheels, which are connected respectively to two motor units each having an electric motor as a prime mover. Each of the motor units includes a transmitting mechanism such as a universal joint, a speed reducer, a torque converter, or the like disposed between the electric motor and the drive wheel. Rotational drive power from the electric motor is transmitted through the transmitting mechanism to the drive wheel.
Although not disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-285350, certain motor units of the type described above include a transmission disposed between the electric motor and the drive wheel. If a transmission, which is capable of switching between a low-speed torque and a high-speed torque, is used as such a transmission, then the transmission is effective to increase the range of speeds at which the vehicle can travel. Each of respective transmissions, which are included in the left and right motor units, includes a clutch for intermittently transmitting or blocking drive power from the electric motor.